Google SketchUp: The Missing Manual

Creating Complex Shapes

Whether you're designing a new luxury home, an Adirondack chair, or a new hi-tech device, chances are you're going to use some irregular shapes. You can create complex shapes from scratch with the Line tool, or you can use circles and polygons as a starting point. Then you can use the Line and Eraser tools to make modifications. That process is sometimes called editing an object's geometry, and it involves adding or subtracting edges and surface area from the original object. The next few examples focus on drawing a two-dimensional, cartoonish character—you can call him Skeeter. If you want to add some of your own touches, feel free. This section is all about drawing complex and irregular shapes.

1. Using the Line tool (pencil), draw Skeeter's face—a four-sided polygon like the one in Figure 2-13.

   Make your polygon in the top half of the drawing area, and leave some room at the top to add to it. (The polygon doesn't have to align with the axis.)

2. Click the Select tool, and then select the polygon's top line.

   The entire line changes to a highlight color when it's selected showing that it's a single line segment.

   

   Figure 2-13. Your polygon doesn't have to align with any of the axes for this exercise. In Top view, you see lines representing the green and red axes.

3. With the Line tool (pencil) hover over different parts of the polygon, and note how the point of the pencil ...